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Sonny side up at Zouk
Closing her eyes to the music, RA’s Zakiyah Alhabshi feels as though she’s back in London. The bleepy sounds has a bit of a Shoreditch element to it and certainly lends a refreshing change to the techno/progressive diet she has been stomaching for the last few weeks since being back home.
The latest addition to Zouk’s growing residency list, Sonny’s forward thinking has lead to the now successful YOU bashes. Very different from his earlier days of coughing up tribal house, his present concoction of Electro and nu-wave is just what the club needs to inject a new sound in the main room. Determined to carve a style of his own apart from the other residents whose repertoire ranges from deep House to Techno, Sonny’s leaning towards this spectrum of dance music gets a rousing stamp of approval from RA. The ever-changing nature of dance music means being flexible and open-minded is the key to succeed and to ensure one is still part of the scene.
Building up YOU hasn’t always been easy. There were moments when the night wasn’t properly advertised and people weren’t made aware. “Once, I only had a week to announce it”, Sonny recalls. He resorts to doing what any aspiring DJ would do to make his nights a success. He collects names and emails for his database and promotes his own events through email shots and word of mouth – creating a buzz always has the tendency to heighten a reputation. Besides, email circulation does the trick of reminding people of a forthcoming party.
Pushing new sounds proves a little bit difficult. Singaporeans won't usually embark on unknown territories with opened arms. The advent of foreign DJs clocking air miles by flying in and out of the minuscule city means clubbers are exposed to a variety of dance music. And yet, Hip Hop looks set to be the main sound of the current generation and Trance is still being consumed by the masses.
At the same time, Singapore suffers what several other Asian cities go through -- locals preferring guest DJs. A good night out depends heavily on the brand and hype a DJ brings. Although the belief is changing, many still think that good music is attached to big names.
 Sonny knows there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Singapore might be lagging behind the forerunners of dance music -- the UK, Europe and US, but the fact that more Singaporeans are aware of foreign names means that the scene is surely growing.
“We need more support from the media,” says Sonny. With most radio stations on the island churning out top 40s and Hip Hop, it’s easy to see why dance music can’t be as pervasive in Singapore as it is in other parts of the world. There’s also an established scene in the UK and it goes way back, while it’s still at its infancy stage in Singapore.
Sonny agrees that being a resident in renowned club Zouk has helped increase his profile and he doesn’t have to worry about holding a day job, unlike most DJs elsewhere. Being a resident DJ in Singapore isn’t the same as the UK though, where DJs have the options of playing in different clubs to push their music. There aren’t enough clubs and supporters to warrant the same situation in Singapore. Sonny works five nights a week and the success of the club and his nights there comes first before he can think of making a name out there for himself. There isn’t an established DJ agency and the club will not help in getting overseas gig. Being far away in Singapore also makes it difficult for an Asian DJ to create a name for himself, not unless he generates the interest and has the right contacts before an acclaimed music magazine will write about him.
The passion and pure zeal oozing from Sonny is a pleasure to behold. He might be the youngest in the club but already he can hold his own forth. He has that fiery determination to propel the scene in Singapore to another height. The industry needs more Sonnies.
Catch him at YOU and on Samurai FM.
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Published / Sunday, 07 August 2005
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